
[VR, Science, Philosophy]

The Matrix is iconic for introducing ideas of philosophical skepticism to a broad audience. By philosophical skepticism, we refer to philosophical views that question the possibility of knowledge. The question that Matrix poses can be framed as follows: “Can we know that we are not, in fact, in a simulation?”
The other night—most likely in anticipation of the Vive Pro 2 release—I dreamt that I was in VR. It was a really good dream. I was in total awe of the quality of the new VR gear I was wearing. The resolution was incredible and…
Continue reading VR & Lucid Dreaming
This is a guest piece authored by Stefano Gualeni. Stefano Gualeni (Ph.D.) is a philosopher who designs digital games and a game designer who is passionate about philosophy. He is an Associate Professor at the Institute of Digital Games (University of Malta), and a Visiting…
Continue reading On the existential (in)significance of in-game music
Metaverse [mɛtəˌvɜːs] (noun) A shared, persistent, virtual, collective space—created by a convergence of virtual reality technologies and the Internet. From Meta (popular speech: beyond, higher, transcendental) and Universe (all that exists in time and space.) Since the beginning of the World Wide Web nearly thirty years…
Continue reading Who Will Own The Metaverse?
We love the technology of Virtual Reality for its magical ability to transport us to fantastic worlds, and in so doing, provide transformative experiences. As enthusiasts, we usually highlight these advantages, where VR technology can provide new perspectives on the structure of reality as well…
Continue reading Virtual Reality & Depersonalization / Derealization
Virtual Reality is in some ways a simple concept: it can be reduced to an act of representation, symbolism, or language. Through technological means – be it a pencil or a VR headset – we can represent the past as we remember it and the…
Continue reading Virtual Reality as a Catalyst for Thought
In Buddhism, the notion of suññatā, or, Emptiness, is seen as describing the fundamental reality of the world. It teaches that the world is anitya; impermanent, and simultaneously anatman: that there is no self. In other words, it teaches that there is nothing to grasp,…
Continue reading Virtuality & Emptiness
Virtuality seems for us humans to have a kind of fleeting and ephemeral degree of reality. A plain rock, on the other hand, has a more brute, explicit existence. It is solid, hard, and easily graspable—both in physical and conceptual terms. It seems the virtual…
Continue reading Meaning & Virtual Reality
The ancient mnemonic “Method of Loci” has been in use for thousands of years. From memory competitors to students, the method helps to memorise items by combining visual and spatial cues. Many have perhaps heard of the technique through popular TV shows such as Sherlock…
Continue reading Virtual Reality Memory Palaces
Perhaps no dream is as universal, or as grand, as that of time travel. Being able to return to the glorious past, or speed away into the sci-fi future. Ever since humans began to have the notion of something happening now, this necessarily had to…
Continue reading Time Travel & Virtual Reality